The CJC Board

Best-known to television audiences as Lily van der Woodsen on the hit show Gossip Girl, Kelly Rutherford played the sophisticated, fashionable, matriarch on the Upper East Side of Manhattan for six seasons. Kelly is an advocate of multiple women's and children's charities including StepUp Women's Network, Healthy Child Healthy World, and she is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Free Arts. In November of 2011, Kelly launched KellyRutherford.com, an online magazine that features her favorite and most adored items in Fashion and Beauty.

Nothing, however, compares to her most sacred role as mother to her two young children, Hermes and Helena. In a story that is every bit as gripping as a Hollywood drama, Kelly's children have been ripped from her arms and exiled by a family court judge. In an unprecedented decision, Kelly's 2 year old daughter and 5 year old son were ordered to move to France to accommodate their biological father, a German citizen whose visa was revoked. Kelly has flown overseas more than 70 times to see her precious children, at a cost of two and a half million dollars in both legal fees and flights, forcing her to file for bankruptcy. Like so many other good parents that entered unwittingly into the family court system believing that the needs of a child would be given the top priority, she was shocked to discover that the opposite is true. Kelly has now been forced to take this case to Federal court to address this central issue, her American citizen children have a fundamental right to reside in the United States, just like every other child born in this country. Last year, Kelly co-founded the Children's Justice Campaign with Patrice Lenowitz to educate the general public about the health and safety risks to children during divorce and custody litigation in America's family courts. Kelly believes that children cannot protect themselves from court ordered harm, but together we can speak out on behalf of voiceless children and keep America's children safe.

Patrice Lenowitz is a domestic violence survivor, advocate and activist. She is the founder and co-facilitator of The Nurtured Parent Support Group, a weekly support group empowering survivors of domestic abuse. Of paramount importance to her work is advocating for victims' rights and to unravel why family court often fails to protect the most vulnerable among us, victims and their children in crisis seeking a life free from abuse. Patrice is also the co-playwright with author Lundy Bancroft of FORBIDDEN TO PROTECT, a theatrical production that tells the true stories of family court victims, and raises questions about the improper court response to domestic violence and child abuse. FORBIDDEN TO PROTECT is expected to open to audiences in the fall of 2015. Last year, Patrice co-founded the Children's Justice Campaign with actress Kelly Rutherford. The CJC is a national organization that seeks to protect children's constitutional rights and promote their health and wellbeing in law and society. As a Community Educator for the Center for Hope and Safety, Patrice speaks publically to a wide range of audiences on the dynamics of domestic violence and Human Trafficking, and their palpable threat to our nation's women and children. To further address these issues in her home state, Patrice and crime victims' attorney Rich Pompelio have teamed up to form a statewide grassroots project that calls for family court and child protective services reform. WE THE CHILDREN is a revolutionary movement in the area of child victims' rights and made up of members from every county in the state of New Jersey.

Wendy Murphy is an adjunct professor of sexual violence law at New England Law|Boston where she has taught for fifteen years. She is a former child abuse and sex crimes prosecutor who now specializes in the representation of crime victims, women, children and victim service providers. An impact litigator whose work in state and federal courts around the country has changed the law to improve protections for women's and children's constitutional rights, she developed and directs several projects in conjunction with the school's Center for Law and Social Responsibility. Wendy is the author of "And Justice for Some: An Expose of the Lawyers and Judges Who Let Dangerous Criminals Go Free." Dubbed the "Best Talker on TV" with her "finger on the pulse of women's rights" by Emmy Award winning journalist and former executive producer of ABC World News Tonight, Emily Rooney, she has worked for CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and CBS News as a legal analyst, and appears regularly on network and cable television. Wendy serves on the board of the Children's Justice Campaign. The CJC is a national organization that seeks to protect children's constitutional rights and promote their health and wellbeing in law and society.

Pediatrician Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, is the co-founder of Baby Bundle App. She is a nationally renowned parenting expert, board-certified pediatrician, and has maintained a successful private pediatric practice in New York City for the past 18 years. She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and mother of three children. Dr. Jen is the author of two parenting books, "The Smart Parent's Guide to Getting Your Kids through Check Ups, Illnesses and Accidents" (2010), and "Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children" (2007). Jennifer serves on the board of the Children's Justice Campaign. The CJC is a national organization that seeks to protect children's constitutional rights and promote their health and wellbeing in law and society.

Lundy Bancroft has twenty-five years of experience specializing in interventions for abusive men and their families. He has authored five books in the field, including the U.S.'s best-selling book on domestic violence, "Why Does He Do That?" and the national prizewinner "The Batterer as Parent". Lundy is a former Co-Director of Emerge, the nation's first counseling program for men who batter, and was involved in over 2000 cases as counselor and clinical supervisor. He is currently working with Patrice Lenowitz on a play about battered women's experiences with the child custody system, called "Forbidden to Protect". His new book, "Daily Wisdom for 'Why Does He Do That?': Encouragement for Women Involved with Angry and Controlling Men", will be released by Penguin in April 2015. Lundy serves on the board of the Children's Justice Campaign. The CJC is a national organization that seeks to protect children's constitutional rights and promote their health and wellbeing in law and society.

Dr. Shefali Tsabary, PhD, received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, New York. Dr. Tsabary was exposed to eastern mindfulness at an early age and integrates its teachings with Western psychology. This blend of East and West allows her to reach a global audience. Her ability to appeal to both a psychologically astute and consciousness-driven audience establishes her as one of a kind in the parenting field. Dr. Tsabary is the author of "The Conscious Parent", a NY Times Best Selling book. Published by Namaste Publishing Company in 2010, this groundbreaking book is shattering the beliefs the world has of traditional parenting and creating a pathway of connection where parents are encouraged to grow up with their children. Seen multiple times on Oprah in 2014, Dr. Shefali continues to help parents transform themselves through their children. Dr. Shefali serves on the board of the Children's Justice Campaign. The CJC is a national organization that seeks to protect children's constitutional rights and promote their health and wellbeing in law and society.